Understanding and overcoming barriers to progression Lisa Naylor Senior Research Officer BASE Annual

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Understanding and overcoming barriers to
progression Lisa NaylorSenior Research
OfficerBASE Annual ConferenceJune 2006
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Government Social Research (GSR)

• Good quality social research helps government to
  make better policies and deliver better services
  Evidence based policy
• Government Social Research comprises
  approximately 1,000 social researchers located in
  20 government departments

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Client characteristics (_at_ April 05)

• The typical WORKSTEP client?
• Clearly no such thing. However, the very diverse
  client group is a considerable challenge for both
  policy makers and providers delivering the
  service.
• 14,172 clients in WORKSTEP supported employment
  (excluding Remploy)
• Just 30 female
• 54.6 joined under previous Supported
  Employment Programme

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Client characteristics (_at_ April 05)
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Client characteristics (_at_ April 05)
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Current progression levels
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References

• Forthcoming report WORKSTEP Modernisation Funds
  Evaluation by Purvis, Smith, Lowrey and Dobbs
  (July 2006)
• WORKSTEP Evaluation Case Studies Exploring the
  design, delivery and performance of WORKSTEP by
  Purvis, Lowrey and Dobbs, (April 2006)
• Accessing User and Provider Views on Desirable
  Outcomes of WORKSTEP by Thornton et al. (July
  2005)
• A study of Providers New to WORKSTEP by Thornton
  et al. (June 2004)
• Empowering People with Disabilities A guide to
  good practice in supported employment by CRG
  (June 2002)
• Results-based Funded Supported Employment
  avoiding disincentives to serving people with
  greatest need by Corden and Thornton (June 2003)
  
• The Net Costs and Individual Benefits of the
  Supported Employment Programme by Beyer et al.
  (March 2003)
• User views of Supported Employment by Caron
  Walker (May 2000) Web links to these reports on
  back page of handouts
• Web links to these reports on back page of
  handouts

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Barriers to Progression Programme Design

• Progression is not suitable for everyone
• Complex and cumulative barriers may never be
  overcome to levels acceptable to mainstream open
  employers
• A persons health condition or job retention needs
  may require ongoing support
• A persons health condition could mean support
  needs increase over time
• Current outcome funding structure does not
  provide incentive for progression
• Total 1000 progression payments versus 400
  monthly payment
• Not cost effective for providers to progress
  clients unless contracted places are full
• Remploy grant funding
• Lack of clarity on self employment for WORKSTEP
  customers
• Lack of clarity around what level of performance
  at work is required before a supported employee
  should be considered for open employment
• Timing if progression doesnt happen within
  approx two years of joining WORKSTEP, barriers
  intensify and progression is much less likely to
  occur.

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Barriers to Progression Employer related issues

• Expectations and understanding of the programme.
  
• difficulties changing the expectations of
  employers where customers transferred to WORKSTEP
  from former SEP
• many employers have limited understanding of the
  programme
• Difficulties moving away from wage subsidies,
• public sector employers and smaller businesses
  particularly reluctant
• some employers insist on compensation for
  reduced levels of productivity
• harder to reduce subsidy where customers have
  been employed for a long time with a subsidy.
• Employers was reluctant to relinquish the
  non-financial support from WORKSTEP
• Lack of confidence in employing disabled people.
• Anxieties about the DDA
• Lack of internal support
• Supported businesses, disincentives to progress
  most productive staff
• Employer discrimination
• reluctance to employ without carrot of
  financial support
• reduced opportunities for disabled people

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Barriers to Progression Customer related issues

• Expectations and understanding of the programme.
  
• difficulties changing the expectations of
  customers who transferred to WORKSTEP from former
  SEP
• many customers have limited understanding of the
  programme, including the progression aim,
  especially those with learning disabilities and
  those on the programme for a long time
• Customers may lose relatively good terms and
  conditions if progression means moving to another
  employer
• More of an issues for those employed by local
  authorities and supported businesses, including
  Remploy businesses
• Potential reduction in salary, pension, annual
  leave, sick pay entitlement etc.
• Decreased job security

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Barriers to Progression Customer concerns

• Many customers are understandable fearful of
  progression for a number of reasons
• The biggest concern is a misunderstanding that
  progression would always mean the customer would
  have to change employer and with that all the
  other concerns around finding suitable
  employment, employer discrimination etc.
• Although some customers do not currently need the
  level of support available, some customers are
  not confident of working without any support at
  all
• even when customers have not needed any support
  for a long period of time they still appreciate
  the idea of the provider being on the end of the
  phone if they need them, and talk of a
  safety-net in case anything does go wrong
• one provider described this as some customers
  being afraid to let go
• Fear of leaving the supported business
  environment safe, supportive
• Some customers have indicated they are of afraid
  of trying to work without support in case they
  this doesnt work out for them. Concerns for
  these customers include
• the negative impact this would have on their
  confidence
• being forced off the programme before they feel
  ready including a misunderstanding that support
  is time limited to 2 years
• not being able to return to their current post,
  which can be a problem with some of the smaller
  providers

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Overcoming barriers to progression

• Suggestions from the research to overcome these
  barriers are in your handouts
• Opportunity to discuss and feedback based on your
  own understanding and experiences

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New research

• WORKSTEP Distance Travelled ResearchAnn Purvis
  and James Lowrey
• Centre for Public Policy
• Northumbria University